The Path to Death
by Ravenwhisper's Wish
Summary: "Blood will run down from the mountains. An apprentice must tread The Path to Death. In this way alone will the Clans be saved." That was the chilling prophecy received by Chivestar when he goes to speak with StarClan. When he tells Turtlepaw, the medicine cat apprentice, she tells him to relax. DISCONTINUED!
1. Allegiances

**darkclan**

LEADER chivestar - brown tom w/ white patches and yellow eyes

DEPUTY fleetrunner - light fawn tom with black ears & tail tip, brown eyes

 _apprentice_ songpaw

MEDICINE CAT sunfire - white tom with tan patches & tail, brown eyes

MEDICINE CAT APPRENTICE turtlepaw - tortoiseshell she-cat w/ blue eyes

WARRIORS

midgeheart - brown tabby she-cat

 _apprentice_ curlpaw

nutwish - brown tabby tom

 _apprentice_ wolfpaw

squirreltail - grey tom with bushy tail

daisyheart - ginger-and-white tabby she-cat

patchtalon - black-and-white patched tom

blazestripe - dark ginger tabby tom

rainleaf - pale brown tom

ricebelly - solid white tom

quickpaws - small grey she-cat

 _apprentice_ pebblepaw

volebracken - dark brown tabby tom

oatfur - pale browny yellow she-cat

yarrowfox - pale ginger she-cat

berrycloud - white she-cat with red -ginger ringed tail

lowflame - pale ginger tom

 _apprentice_ tinypaw

waveice - blue smoke she-cat

shredtooth - cream mink tom

APPRENTICES

songpaw - solid black she-cat

pebblepaw - solid dark grey tom

tinypaw - very small brown tom

wolfpaw - grey tom

curlpaw - curly long-furred cream she-cat

QUEENS

littledust - red-brown she-cat

silvershadow - silver tabby she-cat

KITS

parsleykit - pale red-brown tom (mother- littledust)

clearkit - pale silver she-cat w/ white paws (mother- silvershadow)

milkkit - white she-cat (mother- silvershadow)

newtkit - darker grey tabby tom w/ long hair (mother- silvershadow)

lakekit - silver tabby tom (mother- silvershadow)

ELDERS

raggedear - dark brown tom with chewed-up ears, deaf

torneye - one-eyed black tom

onefoot - three-legged ginger-and-white splashed she-cat

flashfeather - pale cream she-cat with a failed memory

* * *

 **lightclan**

LEADER smokestar - cinder grey she-cat with long fur

 _apprentice_ bumblepaw

DEPUTY brownfeather - light tabby brown tom

 _apprentice_ otterpaw

MEDICINE CAT rainsweptleaves - tortoiseshell tom

MEDICINE CAT APPRENTICE stagleaf - dark brown tom

WARRIORS

shatteredsun - mist-grey she-cat

 _apprentice:_ tallpaw

fallingdawn - black-and-brown she-cat

thrushcry - darker brown she-cat

 _apprentice_ fogpaw

robinmoon - red-brown she-car

snowtail - white tom

breezeheart - black-and-white tom

flametail - ginger she-cat

whisperpool - pale grey tom

 _apprentice_ houndpaw

greypaws - dark grey tom

darktail - black tom

APPRENTICES

fogpaw - white she-cat

otterpaw - dark brown tom

tallpaw - grey tom with long legs

houndpaw - brown-and-white patched tom

bumblepaw - black she-cat

QUEENS

leaf-fur - tortoiseshell she-cat

KITS

frostkit - white tom (mother- leaf-fur)

specklekit - tortoiseshell she-cat (mother- leaf-fur)

ELDERS

ambertail - light ginger she-cat

* * *

 **stormclan**

LEADER timberstar - brown tom

DEPUTY nightwhisker - black-and-white patched tom

 _apprentice_ lynxpaw

MEDICINE CAT meadowtail - brown she-cat w/ paler brown tail

MEDICINE CAT APPRENTICE sloepaw - dark grey tom

WARRIORS

wetface - russian blue tom

vixenstorm - dark ginger tabby she-cat

chasinghail - fluffy white tom

needlerain - pale grey tabby tom

 _apprentice_ sedgepaw

jaystone - dark grey tom

 _apprentice_ tawnypaw

thornfur - red-brown she-cat

cloudwhisker - solid white long-haired tom

tumblestep - black tom w/ white tail tip

roseclaw - black-and-brown she-cat

sparrowheart - pale brown she-cat

cinderleaf - grey she-cat

fallingleaves - brown tom

APPRENTICES

lynxpaw - pale cinnamon tom

tawnypaw - pale brown she-cat

sedgepaw - dark brown tom

QUEENS

mistycreek - silvert tabby she-cat

hopeheart - brown tabby she-cat

spottedtail - tortoiseshell she-cat

KITS

mottlekit - dappled brown she-cat (mother- spottedtail)

ashkit - grey tom (mother- mistycreek)

gorsekit - grey-and-white tom (mother- mistycreek)

stickkit - brown tom (mother- hopeheart)

ELDERS

deadpelt - brown-and-black tom w/ falling-out fur

maggotnose - cream she-cat with a crusty nose


	2. Prologue

Chivestar's POV

* * *

Chivestar was asleep in his den.

But his dreams were haunted by dying cats, and the spirits of old enemies.

He woke up at the first light of dawn.

When he woke up, he knew he must go to speak with StarClan at the Moon Tree.

And so he set off.

To get there, he had to go through StormClan's territory.

As he crossed the log over the river and stepped onto StormClan territory, he saw two warriors.

It appeared they were playing with a kit, but as Chivestar came closer, he saw that they were doing something with her.

So he hid in a bush and watched.

The two warriors were Wetface and . . . Vixenstorm.

Wetface seemed to be protesting against something Vixenstorm was telling him.

Chivestar could hear them talking, but he was not close enough to make out the words.

Then he tensed up, Vixenstorm was doing something to the kit!

Chivestar recognized the kit as Tawnykit, he could hear her terrified mews.

Then Chivestar jumped, as Wetface launched himself at Vixenstorm.

"Stop!" Wetface yowled, tearing Vixenstorm of-of Tawnykit.

Tawnykit wailed and fell into _the_ _very bush where Chivestar was hiding._

She tumbled against him and collapsed.

Chivestar nosed her and then realized what Vixenstorm had been doing.

"Deathberries!" He gasped, catching sight of the deadly berries in Tawnykit's mouth.

Chivestar grabbed Tawnykit by her scruff and brought her out to where Wetface was fighting Vixenstorm.

At the sight of the formidable Leader of DarkClan, Vixenstorm fled.

Wetface turned to face Chivestar.

"What . . . Who?" He spluttered, "Chivestar?"

Chivestar placed Tawnykit at the blue-grey warrior's paws.

"Take her back to Meadowtail," he meowed. "I need to go to the Moon Tree."

Wetface nodded, his eyes cleared as he saw why Chivestar was here.

He picked up Tawnykit and headed for StormClan camp.

When Chivestar reached the Silver Cave, he prepared himself to talk to StarClan.

He padded in and saw the MoonTree, its silver petals glowing with light.

He closed his eyes and touched his nose to the trunk of the MoonTree.

Smelling the familiar scent of a cat he recognized, he opened his eyes.

"Ebonyfoot!" He gasped, seeing the black-pawed warrior standing in front of him.

Ebonyfoot had been his mentor, and also the deputy before him.

Alas, he had been run over by a monster on the thunderway and even Sunfire could not save him.

"Yes," Ebonyfoot smiled. "I have come to give you a prophecy."

 **Blood will run down from the mountains.** It sounded like it was echoing off the cavern walls, rather than just coming from Ebonyfoot.

 **An apprentice must walk The Path of Death. In this way alone will the Clans be saved.**

* * *

Wow. How did I write this?!

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	3. Chapter 1

This is it! The first actual chapter! Turn around and yell hooray. (No idea why XD)

Tawnypaw's POV

* * *

"Tawnykit, step up."

Tawnykit pricked up her ears and bounced forward.

"Tawnykit, you have reached the age of six moons and are ready to become an apprentice. From this moment onwards until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Tawnypaw. Your mentor will be Jaystone."

Tawnypaw jumped down and touched noses with the dark gray tom-cat.

 _I got Jaystone! Jaystone likes me!_

Jaystone stepped back as Sedgekit's name was called.

Sedgekit walked forward slowly.

"Sedgekit, you have reached the age of six moons and are ready to become an apprentice. From this moment onwards until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Sedgepaw. Your mentor will be Needlerain.

Tawnypaw watched as her brother touched noses with his new mentor.

"Clan dismissed." Timberstar meowed.

Tawnypaw turned to her new mentor. "When do we start training?" She mewed excitedly.

"Now, if you like," replied Jaystone.

"Yes, oh, _yes_."

"Okay, I'll start by showing you the territory."

Tawnypaw padded after Jaystone as he went out of camp.

"This is the border that marks DarkClan territory," Jaystone showed Tawnypaw the spot where StormClan's trees ended and DarkClan's mountains and caves begun.

"And over there is LightClan's territory. This way." They crossed through the trees to the other side of StormClan territory.

Tawnypaw watched Jaystone as he stood on the edge of the stream that marked the beginning of LightClan's territory. He sniffed some stones.

"Strange . . . I smell Vixenstorm's scent here. She couldn't be here, not after all these moons, could she?"

It had been almost four moons since Vixenstorm had attacked Tawnypaw.

Seeing Tawnypaw's face, Jaystone shook his head. "Nevermind, let's get on."

Tawnypaw followed him as he set off, following the stream.

"If you follow the stream," he told her, "all the way, you'll come to the Silver Cave."

Tawnypaw perked up. "What's the _Silver Cave_?" She asked.

Jaystone smiled. "It's where the Moon Tree is."

"The _Moon Tree_?"

"A tree with silver leaves, where leaders, and medicine cats go to talk with StarClan. "Will I ever go there?"

"Will I ever go there?"

Jaystone nodded. "You will, before you become a warrior."

"Cool!" Tawnypaw looked around. "Where're we goin' next?"

Jaystone headed off in the direction of camp. "Back to camp, sundown's coming."

"Awwwww." Tawnypaw followed him.

* * *

YAY! The actual first chapter!

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	4. Chapter 2

Songpaw's POV

* * *

Songpaw padded over to Tinypaw.

"Hey, Tinypaw," she mewed. "Coming out hunting?"

Tinypaw blinked. "Uh . . . yeah, I guess."

Songpaw darted over to her mentor, Fleetrunner.

"Tinypaw says he'll come!" she squealed. "Can we go now?"

Fleetrunner nodded, suppressing a _mrrow_ of laughter at his apprentice's eagerness.

He called Tinypaw over, then padded out of camp.

They headed towards StormClan territory, there was a hollow in the mountains there, where rabbits were common.

Songpaw ran on ahead excitedly. "Hurry u-" she broke off, seeing a strange cat.

"Who's that?" she whispered to Tinypaw as he came up behind her. "He smells of StormClan."

Fleetrunner stepped next to Tinypaw and his eyes opened wide.

"Chasinghail," he growled. "What are you doing here?"

The cat, a long-haired gray tom-cat, flicked his tail irritably. "I need to talk," he hissed. "With Chivestar."

Songpaw suppressed a cry of surprise, Chivestar was her father.

"Why?" she demanded. "What business do you have with him?"

Chasinghail glanced at her and then sneered. "A meager apprentice, trying to stop _me._!"

Songpaw stepped back, hurt. "I bet I could beat you in a fight anytime!" she retorted angrily.

"As if," Chasinghail scoffed. Then he turned to Fleetrunner, impatience in his eyes. "Bring me to Chivestar!" he snapped.

Fleetrunner sighed. Then he nodded, turned around, and padded back towards camp, summoning the others to follow with a flick of his tail.

"Come," he meowed gruffly. Then added, "I suppose we must."

Tinypaw scowled but followed Fleetrunner though his ears were down and his tail was straight with anger for Chasinghail.

Songpaw went after him, letting out a low growl that told Chasinghail to stay back and go last.

)(

When they got back to camp, Songpaw darted over to her father before any of the other three cats could move.

"Songpaw?" Chivestar sounded worried, confused, and surprised.

"Chivestar," she mewed hurriedly, "there's a StormClan cat, Chasinghail, who wants to talk with you!"

Chivestar sighed wearily, then headed towards Chasinghail.

"What is it?" he asked when he got there. Songpaw noted how tired his voice sounded and how low his tail drooped.

"Leaf-fall is coming," Chasinghail meowed with annoyance. Songpaw got the feeling he'd wanted to speak with her father alone.

"And StormClan is already running low on prey-" he tried to continue, when he was cut off.

"That's nothing to do with DarkClan," Chivestar pointed out, at the same time as Tinypaw jumped in with, "So's DarkClan!"

"Our elders are running low on strength," Chasinghail finally continued. "I have come to ask StormClan to share it's prey with us."

There was a cry of outrage from all the cats close enough to hear him.

"What!" Songpaw could distinguish one one voice, that of Yarrowfox, louder than the rest. "You think that we have no need for our prey? We have kits who need to eat if they are to survive the harsh leaf-fall ahead! And you expect us to share our prey with _StormClan_?"

Chivestar frowned at the noise, then called for quite. When peace regained, he beckoned his deputy, Flashfeather, over with a twitch of his ears.

"We will not share our prey with you, not when you ask like this. We may have made a different decision if you had waited for a Gathering. Yet you did not, so this is our choice." Chivestar told the curly-furred gray warrior.

Flashfeather nodded. "Now, leave," she meowed sternly. "Warriors of DarkClan, if this StormClan intruder does not leave, you have permission to drive him out."

Seeing all the cats staring at him with hostility, Chasinghail decided to scarper.

Turning, he padded out of the camp, breaking into a run once about a foxlength away.


	5. Chapter 3

Fallingdawn's POV

* * *

Fallingdawn watched as the two kits played outside the nursery, pretending to fight.

"Look at me!" one of them, Frostkit, squealed to his mother. "I'm good enough to be an apprentice already!"

Leaf-fur fondly smiled at him and Specklekit. "You'll be the best two apprentices there are," she meowed.

Specklekit looked up at her mother with big, amber eyes. "Really?" she asked.

Fallingdawn padded away before Leaf-fur could answer.

Then she heard her name being called by the deputy, Brownfeather. "Fallingdawn! _Fallingdawn!_ "

She turned as Brownfeather came hurrying up behind her.

"I need you," he panted, "and Shatteredsun and her apprentice to go on a hunting patrol."

"Alright," Fallingdawn nodded, seeing Shatteredsun coming over with Tallpaw. "Let's go."

They padded out of the camp.

"Hey, Fallingdawn," Tallpaw called as he ran ahead, his long legs helping him go faster. "Look what I can do!"

He pounced on a mouse, killing it, and trotted proudly back to the warriors.

"Well done," Shatteredsun congratulated her apprentice. "Now let's get some more prey and then we can head back."

Tallpaw nodded and quickly buried the mouse.

Then he padded along next to Fallingdawn, his bright eyes darting around.

Fallingdawn caught a squirrel and another mouse, she buried them as well.

Then she pricked up her ears. She could hear a mewling sound.

 _A kit?_ h _I must help. But how?_

"I . . . I need to make dirt," she told Shatteredsun, making up an excuse on the spot.

With that, she darted into the bracken and searched for the kit.

The bracken tore into her fur, and thorns pierced her paw pads, but she pressed on, her heart racing.

Sniffing about, she caught the scent of the kit, it was a _kittypet_ smell, but it also had a tint of rogue to it.

"Where are you?" she called softly, hearing the answering mewl, "Over h-here."

She pushed through the bracken to the spot where the sound was coming from.

Looking around, her eyes caught the small movement at the edge of the clearing, and she darted over to there.

She found the kit lying on the ground, it was a small white she-kit.

"No need to be afraid," she murmured to it. "I'm not dangerous."

It wailed, but let her pick it up. With worry, she noted that it had a gash in its side.

She carried it back to the others, taking care not to get brambles caught in its fur.

When she got back to Shatteredsun and Tallpaw, they were waiting patiently.

"We thought you had gotten lost, you stupid furball!" Shatteredsun mewed, but her voice was full of laughter, and Fallingdawn could tell that it was a friendly insult.

Fallingdawn dropped the kit on the ground. She poked it with her nose.

"What's that?" Tallpaw asked, padding towards the kit.

"I'm Marshmallow," the kit squeaked. "I'm lost."

"Come with us," Shatteredsun invited. "Maybe you can join LightClan."

"Okay," Marshmallow mewed, struggling to her paws. "What's LightClan?"

"Nevermind," Fallingdawn meowed, shooting a grumpy look at Shatteredsun. "It doesn't matter."

Then she picked up Marshmallow and padded back towards camp.

Tallpaw and Shatteredsun followed, Tallpaw pausing to dig up the fresh-kill they had buried on the way there.

When they got back to camp, Brownfeather came padding up to them. He looked surprised when he saw Marshmallow in Fallingdawn's jaws. "Who?" he asked in a single word.

"This is Marshmallow," Shatteredsun butted in. "We want to know if she can join LightClan."

"Oh!" Brownfeather was rather taken aback. "Um, I guess we should ask Smokestar."

Marshmallow groaned in Fallingdawn's mouth. With a shock, Fallingdawn remembered the gash in her side and noticed the blood dripping onto the ground.

"We need to get her to Rainsweptleaves. Now." Fallingdawn muttered to Brownfeather.

The light brown tabby deputy nodded, "I'll get Smokestar to you as soon as I can. You bring her to Rainsweptleaves."

Relieved, Fallingdawn hurried to the medicine cats' den.

Bursting in, she dropped Marshmallow with an oomph. "Rainsweptleaves! Can you do something?"

But Rainsweptleaves was not there. Only her apprentice, Stagpaw.

"Rainsweptleaves is out gathering herbs," the red-brown apprentice mewed quietly. "Can I help?"

Fallingdawn nodded and pushed Marshmallow towards Stagpaw.

Stagpaw nudged Marshmallow, rolling her over, and saw the blood on her snowy-white fur.

He padded over to the side of the den, when he came back he had sticky, white cobwebs wrapped around his paw.

He pressed the cobwebs onto the cut, blocking the flow of blood. Then he gathered up Marshmallow in his jaws and carried her over to a nest, where he set her down.

Marshmallow snuggled into the warm, soft nest and fell asleep almost at once.


	6. Chapter 4

Berrycloud's POV

* * *

Berrycloud yawned as she woke up, blinking in the sudden sun.

Then her eyes snapped open and her brain flicked into motion.

"Berrycloud! _Berrycloud!_ " It was the voice of Flashfeather, calling for her.

Flashfeather's head whipped around as Berrycloud crawled out of the warriors' den.

"Why aren't you up yet?" the deputy demanded. "I need you for the dawn patrol."

"Sorry," Berrycloud mumbled. "Have you sent it?"

Flashfeather shook her head. "No. But you're not leading it anymore," she snapped irritably.

Berrycloud dipped her head in shame.

"Patchtalon shall lead it. Patchtalon!" Flashfeather called for the brown-and-black tom-cat. "Where is he?"

"Er, Flashfeather," it was Volebracken, who had come up beside them, "you told him to go on a _hunting_ patrol."

Flashfeather shook her head hard, as though to clear it, but then nodded. "So I did . . . My memories failing," she muttered. "Quickpaws," she added louder, turning to Volebracken, "you shall lead it."

Berrycloud's brow furrowed, the light-cream deputy's memory was fading - or was it something else? After all, how could she mistake Volebracken for Quickpaws?

Volebracken seemed rather taken aback by the mistake, but nodded slowly. "Yes, Flashfeather," he meowed nervously. "I will."

Flashfeather twitched her ears and then hurried off.

Volebracken turned to Berrycloud and asked, "Should we find Quickpaws or should I just lead it?"

Berrycloud thought a moment before replying, "Quickpaws said she was going to take Pebblepaw for training."

Volebracken sighed. "So I shall lead it."

Then he gazed around the clearing before saying, "I shall take Lowflame, Midgeheart, and Waveice."

Berrycloud flicked her tail in annoyance but decided to go see how Pebblepaw's training was going.

* * *

Flashfeather's POV

* * *

Flashfeather looked around for her friend, Onefoot, but couldn't see her.

She stopped Berrycloud while she was going out of camp, to ask: "Have you seen Splatteredfur? She's a ginger-and-white warrior."

Berrycloud frowned but then saw that Flashfeather meant Onefoot. "She's not a warrior," she mewed gently. "She's an elder."

Flashfeather looked confused for a heartbeat but then said, "No, Notail is an elder, Splatteredfur is a _warrior_."

Berrycloud's eyes lit up as realization dawned on her: DarkClan's deputy was talking about a long-dead elder and believed that Onefoot was still a warrior!

"I think you'd better come with me," Berrycloud told Flashfeather, leading her towards the medicine cats' den.

When they got there, Berrycloud told Flashfeather to stay right there and then went inside the den.

Flashfeather shuffled her paws in the dust before padding absent-mindedly towards Shredtooth.

"Waterfrost," she mewed. "Any chance of me leading a patrol?"

Shredtooth frowned at her and followed the track of her pawprints right back to the medicine cats' den.

He brought her back to there and stopped her, catching sight of Berrycloud inside the den, he told her not to move until Berrycloud came out.


	7. Chapter 5

Mottlekit's POV

* * *

Mottlekit crept out of the nursery and up to Ashkit.

"Hey," she whispered, "do you wanna go ask the elders for a story?"

Ashkit, always more cautious, replied: "Okay, but we need to get some fresh-kill."

Mottlekit nodded and bounded over to the fresh-kill pile, looking behind her to check that Ashkit was following.

After Ashkit caught up, she pulled out a rabbit and dumped it at his paws. "This one!"

Ashkit's tail tip twitched, but he sighed and started dragging it towards the elders' den.

Mottlekit helped push it along happily. When they got to the elders' den, they peeked in and saw that Maggotnose was there and so was Deadpelt, but Deadpelt was asleep.

When they came in, Maggotnose smiled at them. "Is that for me?" she asked pleasantly. "Why, thank you."

Picking up the rabbit, she placed it down by her nest and then mewed: "I wonder . . . Would you like a story?" It was almost not a question, as she knew the answer!

Mottlekit settled down next to the nests. Ashkit sat down next to her, his light blue eyes flicking around.

"One night, when I was an apprentice," Maggotnose began, "and Glowstar was the leader of StormClan, a fire raged in our trees. LightClan's cats wouldn't bring water to help. Eventually, we had to abandon camp." she paused and then continued, "When I say camp, I don't mean this camp, I mean an old camp. A camp surrounded by trees, and worst of all, it was leaf-fall, so all the leaves were dry. We had not had rain for at least two moons. The fire spread far," she sighed, her eyes shining with memories, "and we had to flee. We fled . . . To here." She lifted up her paw and waved it around the sturdy stone camp. "The fire couldn't follow us here. The next day the rain fell. We were safe."

She finished and Mottlekit's mouth hung open. "Wow," Mottlekit gasped. "Ashkit, wasn't that an awesome story?"

But when she turned to look at Ashkit, _Ashkit wasn't there._

"Ashkit? Ashkit!" Mottlekit frowned, hurriedly thanked Maggotnose for the story, then hurried out to find Ashkit.

She went to the nursery and found his brother, Gorsekit, but no Ashkit. Then she spun around at the sound of Ashkit's mews, to see him being carried in by his mother, Mistycreek.

"Ashkit!" she squealed, leaping to her paws. "Why did you go off? It was a great story."

Ashkit didn't say anything, keeping his lips glued shut. Mistycreek shook her head irritably at him and then dropped him on his nest.

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter, guys! Please favourite, follow, and review!


	8. Chapter 6

Marshmallow's POV (Woooooo! Two chapters in one day!)

* * *

Marshmallow turned in her nest, she opened her big, blue eyes to find Fallingdawn looking down at her.

"You're awake!" Fallingdawn meowed. Hearing that, Rainsweptleaves padded over. "Is she?" the tortoiseshell medicine cat asked. "Good."

Fallingdawn turned and padded out, going to find the LightClan deputy. Marshmallow staggered up, her paws slipping slightly, but she stood strongly.

"You look old for a kit," Rainsweptleaves observed. "You look about seven moons."

Marshmallow, having managed to find her balance, frowned. "I'm not a _kitten_!" she raged. "I'm about _eight_ moons!"

Rainsweptleaves nodded hard, "I'm sorry, of course you are."

Marshmallow sighed. "Yes. Now, it would be a pleasure if you could tell me where I am." Her voice rung with sarcasm. A _pleasure._

"You're in LightClan's camp," Rainsweptleaves mewed. "And Smokestar should be coming soon."

Marshmallow smiled a slightly crooked smile. "Smokestar?"

"Our leader - and yours too, if you decide to join LightClan."

Marshmallow's eyes glittered with surprise. "Me? Join your Clan? You'd _let_ me?"

Rainsweptleaves let out a soft _mrrow_ of laughter. "Yes, we would."

"Great! Then I want to."

"Well, here's Smokestar now." Rainsweptleaves said as a grey she-cat came into the den.

"Yes, here I am," the cat mewed. Marshmallow guessed this was Smokestar. "You want to join our Clan, young one?"

Marshmallow nodded, to awed by the formidable leader to speak.

"Then you shall have a ceremony," Smokestar meowed, then padded up to the Dawnrock, Marshmallow following.

* * *

"All cats old enough to live in the light," Smokestar called, "come and gather round the Dawnrock for a Clan meeting!"

When the cats gathered, Marshmallow felt a lot of eyes upon her. She shivered.

"Marshmallow," Smokestar continued, "you have made the wise decision to join our Clan. For this choice you will be rewarded with a new name. Marshmallow, from this moment onwards you will be known as Fogpaw. Your mentor will be Thrushcry."

Thrushcry felt uncomfortable, this was her first apprentice and she would have preferred it to be a Clan-born cat.

But she stepped forward and, after a slight whisper in Fogpaw's ear so she would know what to do, touched noses with her new apprentice.


	9. Chapter 7

Chivestar's POV

* * *

Chivestar looked across from his den, his mind catching onto his deputy.

He sighed. His deputy, who, only a few sunrises ago, not even a moon, had stood up so bravely against Chasinghail, a StormClan tom who had intruded into DarkClan's camp.

And yet now . . . Now she was absent-minded, mistaking cats for other cats, believing that dead cats were still alive.

Chivestar wondered _when_ and _why_ this change had come about.

Softly, he turned and slipped back into his den. He was about to lie down when Sunfire , the medicine cat, came in.

"Chivestar," the white-and-tan cat meowed slowly, "I need to talk to you."

Chivestar nodded for the medicine cat to begin. "Well?" he asked when Sunfire didn't say more.

Sunfire frowned and opened his mouth to speak. "Flashfeather . . . I . . ."

"What about her?" Chivestar snapped, starting to get irritated. "She's fine, isn't she?" he added, almost with worry.

"That is to be seen," mewed Sunfire. "She . . . You may need to choose a new deputy."

"What? What's wrong with Flashfeather?" demanded Chivestar.

"It appears she has become old," the reply came hesitantly. "It may - may be time for her to join the elders."

"The _elders!"_

"Yes."

Chivestar frowned. "Where is she?"

"Well . . ." Sunfire shuffled his feet, as though he didn't want to tell the leader this. "I've sent her to the elders' den."

Chivestar sighed heavily. "You are right. Her memory was failing. She was becoming too old."

He dismissed Sunfire with a flick of his tail. Then he padded over to the Shaderock.

"All cats old enough to roam in the shadows, gather round the Shaderock for a Clan meeting!"

At his call, although some were already there, DarkClan cats stopped what they were doing, herded the kits back into the nursery, and came to stand by the Shaderock.

Chivestar surveyed his Clan and then continued gravely, "Our brave deputy, Flashfeather, has been reduced to the elders' den."

There was a sound of shocked meows and surprised whispers from the gathered cats. "Why . . . . What was wrong . . . . Who's the deputy now . . ."

"I must choose a new deputy," announced Chivestar. "Fleetrunner, you have served DarkClan well. Will you accept the position of Clan deputy?"

Fleetrunner seemed surprised, he kept looking around to make sure his leader didn't mean a different cat.

"Me?" he asked, but it was not really a question.

"Yes, you." Chivestar laughed. "I was under the impression you were the cat named Fleetrunner, yes?"

Fleetrunner mumbled something that sounded like a "yes" and blushed, feeling heat go from his ears to his tail-tip.

* * *

God, another short one -_-


	10. (ANNOUNCEMENT - PLESE READ)

I have not been active for a while, so this story had stopped. I am back now, and will be continuing with what (I hope) is better writing than before.

the next chapter should be up tomorrow, so keep an eye out!


	11. Chapter 8

ose caught the smell as well, anTawnypaw's POV

* * *

Tawnypaw writhed in her nest as her pleasant dream turned to a nightmare where Vixenstorm was feeding her deathberries all over again. She woke up in a cold sweat, but when she glanced out the den, she saw it was actually a warm, sunny sunrise.

"Tawnypaw? You in here?" it was the voice of Jaystone, her mentor. She blinked in the bright sunlight as he parted the ivy that hung over the apprentice's den, when he poked his head in.

"Yup." she yawned and stretched as she stood up. "What are we doing today?"

"I thought we could do some tracking, we haven't in a while."

"Sounds good!" she shook her light brown fur and padded out of the den. "So where shall we do it?"

"I thought maybe in the forest, you could track a mouse, they're quite easy."

"Hey! I don't need easy stuff, I could track a fox, or a bird, or you, or..."

"Okay, okay," purred the dark grey tom. "I just thought you might _like_ something easier, but if you like, you could track me."

She shook her head quickly, having not been an apprentice that long, she was not sure she could track Jaystone at all. "No, no, I'm sure a mouse will be fine."

They padded out of camp to the training clearing, a grassy area with trees surrounding it. If you went into the trees, you would find yourself in the forest.

"Well, do you think you can find a mouse to track?" he asked.

She nodded, already sniffing the floor. "Aha!" she cried out before she smothered her words, "Footprints." She confirmed they were definitely mouse footprints and then followed them, noting that seeds littered the path as well. When she could see the mouse, she let out a mrrow of delight - forgetting that the mouse would hear her. It scampered away into the underbrush. "Fox-dung!" she cursed herself.

Jaystone leapt down from the tree where he had been watching Tawnypaw. "Don't worry, it was merely a reaction of delight, perfectly normal. You just gotta remember that it will hear you and run away!"

She nodded, listening with earnest to every word he said. "Okay. Can I try again?"

"Sure."

She went back to the training area, Jaystone following, and looked around for another mouse. Seeing what looked like mice footprints at the other side of the area, she dashed over to investigate. "Hmm." She sniffed them, and as the faint mouse scent rose into her nostrils, she knew that she had been correct - they were mouse footprints. As she followed them, she then stopped short as she caught another scent - a cat. It didn't seem to be any clan scent that she knew of - yet it was faintly familiar. She gasped as she recognised the scent. Her mouth went dry and she froze, wondering what to do. The scent was that of _Vixenstorm_ , the very cat who had tried to poison her when she was young. When Jaystone saw her looking like a statue, he jumped down to join her. "What is it? What have you found?" he asked before his nose caught the smell as well, and he muttered, "Vixenstorm. That double-dealing traitor's back."

* * *

*gives evil laugh*

so vixenstorm is back

and so am I


End file.
